A MAN has been jailed after sending a text message threatening to kill his brother, despite already being subject to a suspended prison sentence.

Nigel Adams, aged 35, sent the message to his sibling, Paul Adams, after Paul enjoyed a drink with Nigel’s ex-wife Carmelia Adams.

The message said: “I’m going on a killing spree tomoz (tomorrow) and you’re next.”

Magistrates at North Somerset Courthouse heard how Nigel, of Grenville Avenue in Locking, had been issued with a suspended 12-week sentence in May for breaching a restraining order, which was imposed by his ex-partner.

Ian Dawes, prosecuting, said: “There is menace and a threat.

“The defendant has been through a divorce and the brother is still in contact with the defendant’s ex-wife. This has caused tension between the brothers and it has culminated in this text message being sent.”

David Bird, mitigating, admitted the message was ‘unpleasant’.

He said: “It is an unpleasant message to send but it wasn’t directed towards his ex-partner.

“The defendant is estranged from his wife and is subject to a restraining order, which was breached because he made contact with his wife. As a result, a suspended sentence was imposed.

“Paul Adams and his wife went with Nigel’s ex-wife to a pub which the defendant regularly frequents. The defendant felt this was setting him up so that he would bump into his ex-wife and breach his restraining order.

“This was something which occurred while drunk, in circumstances where the defendant felt somewhat aggrieved by the risk being posed to him through this act of his brother taking his ex-wife to the pub.”

Adams pleaded guilty to sending a threatening message.

Magistrates activated the 12-week suspended sentence but reduced it by two weeks, meaning the he was sentenced to 10 weeks.

He was also fined £73 and ordered to pay a £150 charge, £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £25. A second restraining order was also imposed.